Car-coupling



Y 3 Sheets-Sheet l, 0. BARNES 8v L. BARNES, S1. GAR GOUPLING.

(No Model.)

Patented Oct. 7, 1890.

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ATTORNEYS WITNESSES; @of y (No Model.) s sheets-sneer 2. C. 0. BARNES 81; L. BARNES, Sr. CAR GOUPLING.

No. 487,962. yPatented Oct. 7, 1890.

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GAR GOUPLING.

10.437,962. Patented 001;. 7, 1890.

Elf/- (Q WTNESSS 2 w INVENTRS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

CHARLES O. BARNES AND LUOIEN BARNES, SR., OF SYRAOUSE, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,962, dated October *7, 1890.

Application filed .Tune 26,1890. Serial No. 356,748. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES O. BARNES and LUGIEN BARNES, Sr., of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oar-Oouplings, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact de- Scription.

This invention relates to the class of 'carcouplings in which an arm, usually called knuckle,7 is pivoted to the draw-head and adapted to interlock with a similar knuckle on the draw-head of an approaching car.

The objects of the invention are, first, to dispense with the supplemental arm which has hitherto been formed on the knuckle, thereby reducing the weight of said knuckle; secondly, to afford a freer inward and outward movement of the knuckle, and thus facilitate its coupling and uncoupling action; thirdly, to enable the knuckle to retain its closed position and resist the draft thereon independent of the pin upon which it slides, and, fourthly, to relieve the aforesaid pin from concussion incident to the collision of the knuckle with another car-coupling; and to these ends the invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a carcoupling embodying our improvements. Figs. 2 and 3 are horizontal transverse sections on line c as, Fig. 4, showing the knuckle in the various positions it assumes in its operation. Fig. et is a vertical transverse section on line y y, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal transverse section of the bare draw-head, and Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of the knuckle.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the draw-head, which is formed with the usual horn h on one side and with the recess a in a projection A of the opposite side of the draw-head. Said recess is V- shaped, as "shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5 of the drawings, and the vertical walls 'u c thereof are preferably curved in a horizontal plane.l

Vertically through the recess ct of the drawhead, preferably at a point about midway between the ends of the side walls of the recess, is inserted a cylindrical pin c, which is thus sustained eccentrically in relation tothe vertical walls o 'u' of the recess a.

C denotesthe knuckle, which consists of a single arm, the rear end of which is curved toward the draw-head and terminates with vertical faces, which intersect each other V- shaped to conform to the vertical walls 'u fu of the recess a, into which the rear end of the knuckle is inserted. The rear end portion of the knuckle is provided with a vertical slot (Z, which is elongated diagonally in relation to the outer end portion of the knuckle, or toward the intersection of the rear end faces of the knuckle, and receives through it the pin c. Said knuckle is thus enabled to slide longitudinally, and consequently directly into and out of contact with the vertical walls of the recess d, when the knuckle is thrown into and out of its coupling positions, as represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Thisliberation of the knuckle from frictional contact of its rear end allows the same to move freely in the aforesaid direction, and when the knuckle C is thrown into its open position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the slot d is in such a position lengthwise as to be nearly parallel with the draw-bar B. This effectually relieves the pin c from the concussion incident to the collision of an ordinary car-bumper with the outer end of the knuckle set into its open position, and aside from this the space between the rear end of the knuckle and inner faces of the recess a allows the knuckle to recede and at the same time swing to its closed position.

The vertical edge of the outer side wall of the recess a forms a stop a', which limits the outward movement of the knuckle C, as shown by full lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The aforesaid wall of the recess is also formed with a rearwardlyfacin g abutment f and the top and bottom plates of the aforesaid recess are each formed with a forwardly-facing abut ment j' and a straight front bearing f, and the knuckle C is formed with a forwardly-facing shoulder t', rearwardly-facing shoulder i',

and a straight rear bearing i in such positions as to cause them to come in contact, respecta IOO ively,with theabutments ff andbearing f when the knuckle is in its closed position, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and thus the inward movement of the knuckle C is arrested and the concussion resisted by five abutments on the draw-head-viz., the two inner vertical walls of the recess a, the two abutments ff', and the straight bearing f. In throwing the knuckle into its closed position the shoulder z" of the knuckle first comes in contact with the abutment f', as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Said abutment serves as a fulcrum on which the knuckle turns, and by which the knuckle is drawn into the recess and into its locked position, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the slot d allowing the aforesaid movement of the knuckle.

The rear end of Ithe knuckle C is formed with a notch n, the opposite sides of which serve as locking-shoulders to engage with the key o, which is arranged in the draw-head, movably vertically and laterally toward and from the knuckle. The rear face of said key is beveled and rests on an inclined guide Z, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The key slides by gravity down on the inclined way, and is thereby carried automatically toward the knuckle C, and when the latter is in its closed position the key o enters the notch n, and this engagement, together with that of the abutments f and i', locks the knuckle in its closed position independent of the pin c. By means of a chain t, connected to the top of the key and passing through a hole in the top of the draw-head, the key can be lifted to release the knuckle when desired to uncouple the car.

It will be observed that in our improved car-coupler the usual supplemental arm on the knuckle is dispensed with, and thus the weight and cost of the coupler are reduced.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

' 1. The single-armed knuckle C, terminated at its rear end with vertical faces intersecting each other V-shaped, and provided at said end with a vertical slot elongated in a direction diagonally of the knuckle, in combination with the draw-head formed on one side withv a V-shaped recess for the reception of the rear end of the knuckle, a pin passing vertically through the recessed portion of the draw-head and through the slot ofthe knuckle,

head and slot d, and the key o, engaging the rear end ot' the knuckle, substantially as described and shown.

3. The combination of the single-armed knuckle C, formed V-shaped at its rear end andprovided with the notch n and slot d in said end, and with the forwardlyfacing shoulder t', rearwardlyfacing shoulder i', and straight rear bearing i, with the draw-head provided with the V-shaped recess a, rearwardly-facing abutment f', forwardly-facing abutment f, and straight front bearing f, the pin c, passing through the recess a and slot d, and the key o, adapted to enter the notch n, all constructed and combined sub-V stantially as described and shown.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names this 28d day of June, 1890.

cHARLEs o. BARNES. [n s] LUoIEN BARNES, sR. v[1.. sg

WVitnesses:

MARK W. DEWEY, J. J. LAAss. 

